\section{Expected Results and Impact}
\label{sec:impact}
It is highly probable that, even with variation taken into account,
there will be a tangible portion of the processor design space wherein
TFET based processors offer benefits compared to FinFET
processors. However, since the particular boundaries of that region of
the design space are currently unknown, there is not yet a clear
mapping between application/domain demands and what TFETs can
plausibly provide. One of the key results of this investigation will
be to more clearly delineate the properties of TFET-preferring
applications and domains by better defining the crossover and hybrid
opportunities among TFET and FinFET based processors. This will
provide strong guidance for subsequent researchers as to whether TFETs
are a better selection for their domain of choice, allow them to
better select baseline designs to compare future optimizations
against, and elide consideration of designs that, lying outside the
preferred portion of the design space, would likely be unfruitful. We
expect that, while properly incorporating variation will show a
continued set of limiting factors in using TFETs for general-purpose
serial processing, there are strong indicators that TFET based designs
will be strong contenders for both the highly parallel and low-energy
markets.

In addition to improving the analysis of emerging device impacts on
processors, we also aim to produce TFET-specific solutions to mitigate
the known and expected effects of process variability. By crafting
TFET-centric circuit solutions to error-detection, recovery, and
re-timing circuits, TFET-based processors will be able to more
directly compete with exisiting CMOS-centric designs for tolerating
variability. Techniques developed for CMOS, such as
Razor~\cite{Razor}, were very effective in reclaiming otherwise
obstructive levels of guardband, and have had lasting impact on
computer architecture research. Developing the analogous circuits for
TFET-based processors and codifying their properties and limitations will bring TFET-based processors much
closer to state-of-the-art in terms of available techniques for
dealing with variability. Without such techniques, the marginal gains
from TFETs over CMOS may not be large enough to spur rapid investment
in the new technology, delaying its acceptance.
